NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
N.C.I.S
An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate
language dependent humour
Author: Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
Date of hand in: May 5, 2010
Supervisor: Nick Wrigley
Number of characters (without spaces): 54 647
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
List of contents
1.
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 4
2. Theory and method ....................................................................................................................................... 6
3. Subtitling ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
3.1 The audience of today ............................................................................................................................. 9
3.2 Culture ................................................................................................................................................... 10
4. Humour ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
4.1. How to translate humour ..................................................................................................................... 12
4.2. The language-dependent jokes by Zabalbeascoa................................................................................. 13
5. The source text (ST) ..................................................................................................................................... 15
5.1 Summary of Navy CIS season three ....................................................................................................... 15
5.2 The facts on Navy CIS ............................................................................................................................ 15
5.3 Communicative situation....................................................................................................................... 16
6. The Target Text (TT)..................................................................................................................................... 17
7. Macrostrategies ........................................................................................................................................... 18
7.1 A model of macrostrategies by Anne Schjoldager ................................................................................ 18
8. Microstrategies ............................................................................................................................................ 19
8.1 Loan ....................................................................................................................................................... 19
8.2 Calque .................................................................................................................................................... 19
8.3 Explicitation ........................................................................................................................................... 20
8.4 Substitution ........................................................................................................................................... 20
8.5 Transposition ......................................................................................................................................... 20
8.6 Lexical recreation................................................................................................................................... 21
8.7 Compensation........................................................................................................................................ 21
8.8 Omission ................................................................................................................................................ 21
8.9 Addition ................................................................................................................................................. 21
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
8.10 Condensation and reformulation ........................................................................................................ 21
9. Analysis of the TT ......................................................................................................................................... 23
9.1 The Macrostrategy of Navy CIS ............................................................................................................. 23
9.2 Analysing the selected segments .......................................................................................................... 23
9.2.1 Segment 1 ....................................................................................................................................... 24
9.2.2 Segment 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 25
9.2.3 Segment 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 26
9.2.4 Segment 4 ....................................................................................................................................... 27
9.2.5 Segment 5 ....................................................................................................................................... 29
9.2.6 Segment 6 ....................................................................................................................................... 30
9.2.7 Segment 7 ....................................................................................................................................... 31
9.2.8 Segment 8 ....................................................................................................................................... 32
10. Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 34
10.1 Assessment of the Macrostrategy ....................................................................................................... 34
10.2 Assessment of the Microstrategies ..................................................................................................... 35
10.3 Would a different set of strategies have been better? ....................................................................... 37
11. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................. 38
12. List of references ....................................................................................................................................... 40
13. Summary.................................................................................................................................................... 42
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
1. Introduction
As an aspiring translator, I pay close attention to the translation of subtitles, when I watch
television. I know that translating cannot always be easy. The translator will have to consider how
to convey the meaning of the source text (ST) into the target text (TT), but also needs to take the
cultural differences and the audience into consideration. Finally, the translator is limited by the
restricted amount of space that he/ she is allowed to use when subtitling (Rosa 2001: 218).
These are difficulties that all translators are trained to cope with. But what makes a translation
even more complicated is, when we are dealing with humour. What might be funny in one
language and thereby culture, may not have any humorous significance in another language. It all
depends on the skills of the translator and whether he/she is able to convey the meaning with a
funny outcome. When translating humour, the translator is much more present than in other
translations, because we get to see what the translator believes his audience to find funny.
Personally, I get very frustrated when a translation has not been done properly and is deeply
flawed. On the other hand, I also admire and appreciate when the translator has done a good job.
This is why I chose to watch my favourite TV show, Navy CIS, in a more critical perspective than
usual, in order to analyse the translation of the subtitles.
The Danish translator of the TV show was challenged as he/ she was to translate puns, wordplay
and idiomatic expressions in a humorous way. This made a direct translation impossible, and the
translator had to find alternative ways to transfer the effect of the ST. I was fascinated by the
choices that the translator had made and I started wondering how he had come up with the
solutions? How did he manage not to lose the humour in the translation? Was there an alternative
solution?
What strategies did the translator of Navy CIS season three choose to apply when translating
the language dependent jokes made by the character Ziva David? Why did he make these
choices and did he succeed in creating idiomatic Danish as well as transferring the humorous
elements?
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
If I were to determine and analyse the macro and micro strategies for the whole TV show, it would
surely take up more space than I am allowed to use. Therefore, I have picked out eight examples
from independent episodes from the third season of the show as the basis of my research.
After explaining my methodology in chapter 2, I will outline the basic characteristics of subtitling in
chapter 3. I will make a short distinction on the phenomenon of humour in chapter 4. In chapter 5
and 6 I will describe the ST and the TT. Next, the concept of macrostrategies will be explained in
chapter 7. In chapter 8 I will explain the concepts of microstrategies as they are relevant to my
analysis, which I will perform in chapter 9, where I will also include an analysis of the
macrostrategy applied to Navy CIS. I will present my results in chapter 10, and assess the choices
of the translator. Finally I will conclude in chapter 11.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
2. Theory and method
I intend to do an empirical study of the TV show, Navy CIS, by means of a comparative analysis of
the ST and the TT. The ST is the original English version of the TV show and the TT is the Danish
subtitles. I intend to analyse the translation of language dependent jokes that involve the
character Ziva David in the TV show. The structure of this thesis is based on the Four Point Model
by Anne Schjoldager (see Appendix 3), because all four points are relevant in order to answer my
problem statement.
In order to do my comparison, I will study the characteristics of subtitling as they are presented by
Henrik Gottlieb and Jorge Diaz Cintas. I will also research the relevant aspects of humour
presented by Alison Ross. I intend to study the theory of Maria José Veiga, in order to understand
how to translate humour. Furthermore, I will present the type of language dependent jokes
outlined by Zabalbeascoa, analysed by Cintas and Remael (2007). Then, I will study the theory of
macrostrategies as defined by Anne Schjoldager (2008) and I will seek to conclude which
macrostrategy was applied to the subtitling of Navy CIS later in my thesis. Next, I will look into the
microstrategies by Jorge Diaz Cintas (2007). I will support Cintas’ theory with the strategies
outlined by Anne Schjoldager (2008) when I find the strategies by Cintas unclear. Finally, I will
apply my knowledge to the analysis of eight selected segments from the TV show, and in the end
this research should conclude in an assessment of the translation of Navy CIS, in relation to my
problem statement.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
3. Subtitling
According to Jorge Diaz Cintas, subtitling is part of audiovisual translation and is defined as the
following:
“Subtitles must appear in synchrony with the image and dialogue, provide a semantically adequate
account of the SL dialogue, and remain displayed on screen long enough for the viewers to be able
to read them” (Cintas 2007: 9).
The aim of subtitles is to facilitate the access to an otherwise not accessible source of information
and entertainment. Dubbing and Voice over are other ways to make entertainment accessible, and
there are different preferences when it comes to choosing the means of access. In Denmark we
mainly prefer subtitling. The specific pattern of subtitling used in Denmark is called subtitling from
a foreign language into the domestic majority language by Gottlieb (2008: 209). This is also the
pattern used in the subtitling of NCIS.
The job of subtitlers is affected by the time-and-space restraints of the genre. There are only room
for a limited amount of characters in the subtitles, and the subtitles can only be visible for limited
period of time, depending on the speed of delivery in the ST. Thus, subtitles are a reduced form of
the ST. Reduction is necessary because the audience absorb speech more quickly than they can
read, and the viewers must have the time to register and understand the subtitles. Furthermore,
the audience needs time to watch the images and listen to the sound, which also reduces the time
available for subtitling (Cintas and Remael 2007: 146).
According to Cintas and Remael (2007: 146) there are two types of reduction. The partial reduction
is concerned with the condensation and a more precise rendering of the ST, whereas the total
reduction implies deletion or omission of lexical items. Thus, the subtitler must eliminate what is
not relevant for the understanding of the message and reformulate what is relevant in as concise a
form as possible. Sentences that are characterised as context confirming are often omitted in
subtitling. These sentences are not adding any new information, but are only confirming that what
has earlier been uttered is understood. On the other hand, context renewing sentences are usually
retained as they are often relevant to the reception of the message (Cintas and Remael 2007: 6164).
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
When viewers experience poorly translated subtitles it may be due to the heavy pressure on the
subtitlers. Deadlines are coming fast, and the process is always expected to become quicker. The
subtitlers are often only given a dialogue list or a soundtrack, which may lead to
misunderstandings, as the subtitlers do not have access to the whole picture. If a deadline for a
movie is extremely short, the task of subtitling is divided between several translators which often
leads to a lack of cohesion and coherence in the subtitles (Cintas and Remael 2007: 30-39).
It has long been debated whether or not subtitles should be considered as a translation because
they are diamesic, which means that they experience a shift of language mode from speech to
writing (Schjolager 2008, pp 209-210). Also the time-and-space constraints have been reasons for
the critics to question the definition of subtitling. They believe that because you are constrained in
the sense that you will need to respect the synchrony of sound and image of the ST, that subtitling
can merely be defined as an adaptation. (Cintas 2007: 9-11).
In my opinion subtitling is part of translation. You will need the skills of a trained translator to cope
with the many restraints in the field of subtitling. This is why there will be no distinction between a
translator and a subtitler in my thesis.
Subtitling is a very vulnerable form of translation, because of the immediate feedback effect. The
feedback effect appears because subtitling is polysemiotic, which means that the ST and the TT are
visible at the same time. This means that the two texts are also available for immediate
comparison, and thereby the feedback from the audience occurs instantly. The audience will
search for audible recognizable lexical items in the subtitles in order to evaluate them. The
audience will criticise subtitles with a lack of recognizable items, which is why the feedback effect
must be in the mind of a subtitler (Cintas and Remael 2007: 55-56). Fortunately, audiences tend to
be more positive towards Anglicism or lexical borrowings which causes the spoken words not to
disturb the reading of the subtitles (Gottlieb 2008: 227).
When we are looking at the differences between Subtitling and dubbing, dubbing is semiotically a
more authentic screen translation, because dubbing is a substitution and not just supplementary
as subtitling (Gottlieb 2008: 220). Subtitles need to follow the norms of written language and they
condense the original, which in turns make it increasingly difficult to convey the full semantic
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
meaning of the ST (Gottlieb 2008: 236). However, Condensation and Deletion are necessary when
crossing from the spoken language mode to the written mode which is more concise (Gottlieb
2008: 232).
As a subtitler, one should be aware of the interaction between gestures and speech. Gestures are
communicating information non-vocally and they are often culturally bound (Cintas and Remael
2007: 52). However, gestures, images and oral sound may also be an aid for the subtitler. Subtitles
are a reduced form of the ST and complete translations are not required in the mixed media,
because the subtitles interact with the other channels of the media (Cintas and Remael 2007:
145).
To convey the intention of the ST the best way possible, a subtitler will need to consider his choice
of mircostrategies carefully. The TT will have to be completely re-coded because the more fluid
spoken dialogue is to be turned into writing, and follow the traditional conventions of written
language. I expect to find features of the written language, since those are the conventions that
should be followed (Rosa 2001: 218).
Subtitlers do not have nearly as much freedom when translating as the translators of
monosemiotic works as books. The constraints in subtitling may trigger a translation close to the
original that in turn will be less idiomatic (Gottlieb 2008: 211-219).
The reason for the time-and-space constraints is that, the average audience has a natural limit of
how much they are able to read per second. Studies have shown that the limit is about 12
characters per second (Gottlieb 2008: 209).
3.1 The audience of today
Today the audience of films on DVD are expected to read faster than earlier. This is apparently
concluded by the DVD industry, as they have raised the characters per second in subtitling from 12
to 16. The reason for this change may be that, the industry expects people who prefer subtitles
over dubbing have become better at reading. Also, subtitles become increasingly detailed
according to the expected knowledge on English of the audience. Why is that? Should the subtitles
not be more condensed as they are less of a necessity for the audience to understand the original?
I estimate that the reason why subtitles have become more detailed is because the audience will
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
more easily detect the mistakes and lacks in the TT, as subtitles are polysemiotic texts, causing the
ST and the TT to be visible at the same time for immediate comparison. This has made the
translators more careful and detailed in their translations, because the instant feedback of a bad
translation will alienate viewers that understand part of the ST dialogue (Gottlieb 2008: 212-235).
3.2 Culture
When translating cultural references, the translator must consider the target culture norms and
the expectations of the target audience before choosing a strategy. Though the spreading of
messages and symbols through the media has made the world more globalised, translators will
still have to deal with cultural differences (Leppihalme 1996: 199-212).
Subtitlers should be aware of culture bound references in the images of the ST. Problems may
arise when a linguistic sign refers to an iconographic image that exists in the Source culture, but
not in the culture of the TT. This is where the translator may need to add explanations in the
subtitles, or to make a complete alteration of the text. However, this may be difficult if the sign is
visible and not just audible to the viewer.
In translation, cultural bound terms are often a problematic issue. Items that are tied up to the
culture, history and geography of the ST country therefore tend to be serious translation
challenges. Since, films and TV shows are presented to a wide range of audiences with various
cultural backgrounds; the cultural references are becoming a much more common issue for the
translators. Cintas and Remael (2007: 201) present the classifications of cultural references made
by Grit as follows.
-
Geographical references
-
Ethnographic references
-
Socio-political references
As my selected segments are extracted from a police investigative TV show, I will expect to find
references of the socio-political kind, since they are the ones containing references to military and
governmental institutions.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
Because of the fact that the audible ST and the visible TT occur simultaneously, a new trend in
subtitling is emerging: Subtitlers tend to retain the cultural references unchanged. This may cause
some mystifications, but is an effort to avoid the much visible differences between the ST and the
TT (Cintas and Remael 2007: 204-206).
Knowledge of foreign languages is boosted by subtitles, which make them a good choice in smaller
countries which are not self-sufficient on culture. But, when talking about linguistic integrity you
should avoid foreign expressions in domestic texts (Gottlieb 2008: 240).
Translators and scholars have during the past decades developed various kinds of strategies, in
order to find solutions to translational challenges, such as the cultural references. Anything from
very literal transfers to complete alternations has been suggested (Cintas and Remael 2007: 201).
The strategies that I will be addressing, I determine as microstrategies, and they will be presented
in chapter 8.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
4. Humour
As I aim to understand how humour is translated in subtitles, I find it relevant to study the concept
of humour. In 1998, Alison Ross defined humour as:
“Something that makes a person laugh or smile” (Ross 1998: 1)
However, she admits there to be exceptions to her definition, and I agree. Ross states that though
a joke may be humorous, a smile or a laugh may be held back, if the context makes it
inappropriate (Ross 1998: 1). Nevertheless, I find her definition clear and easy to work with.
Though the definition may be flawed, I do believe that a response in form of a smile or a laugh is
important when determining humour.
According to Ross (1998: xii) surprise, innovation and rule-breaking are the essence of humour. An
audience will often respond positively to the incongruity of humour, because the human being is
amused by the element of surprise. What makes people laugh is ambiguity, which could be based
on homonyms, where the sound of two words is the same, but the meanings are quite different.
Nonsense and the absurd are also connected to humour, as well as a change of register, where the
punch line of a joke is delivered with a shift of formality that is out of context (Ross 1998: 30-41).
Mistakes and slips of the tongue also seem to amuse an audience. Malapropism is defined as the
misuse of familiar expression, and I expect to find quite a few examples of this kind of linguistic
humour, as the jokes delivered by Ziva are based on speech defects. Malapropisms are part of an
unintended humour and often occur among badly educated people or, when an idiomatic
expression is used for the very first time (Ross 1998: 44).
4.1. How to translate humour
When it comes to the translation of humour, the verbal aspect of humour seems to be the most
difficult kind to make universal. Idiomatic expressions and puns are particularly problematic to
translate. That is at least the general opinion of translators (Veiga 2009: 162). When subtitlers are
dealing with the translation of jokes, they may need to create long and complicated explanations,
in order to convey the humour, since humour differs from culture to culture. Substitution and
adaptation are the most common strategies in the translation of humour. Therefore, I expect to
find examples of such strategies. But often the need for synchrony determines the applied
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
strategy. If the speed of delivery is too quick, the subtitler must turn to partial or total
condensation. In average 1/3 of the ST is lost when wordplay is subtitled. However, the reduction
may be justified, because the images may illustrate what cannot be translated. Thereby the
images compliment the subtitles in the creation of humour (Veiga 2009: 163-165).
Veiga (2009: 166-175) suggests that in order to translate humour, subtitlers must recognize the
humour, negotiate the meaning between the SL and the TL, and finally make a decision
considering language, culture and technical boundaries. The subtitlers should aim at recreating the
same viewing experience, which the ST audience was given, by adapting the humour to the target
audience.
Not all translators are qualified to subtitle humour (Veiga 2009: 169). Veiga believes that a
profound knowledge about both languages in play is necessary, and that a translator must possess
humour awareness, in order to recognise elements of verbal humour such as ambiguity and
incongruity. I gather that poorly translated jokes in subtitling may be the result of unqualified
translators.
As I am to analyse jokes based on speech defects, I find it relevant to get a clear definition on
language dependent jokes. Zabalbeascoa defined The six type of jokes, and the remaining five
types are to be found in Appendix 1.
4.2. The language-dependent jokes by Zabalbeascoa
This type of jokes may also be described as verbally expressed humour, and includes aspects such
as puns and wordplay. This type of humour can rarely be translated literally; because the semantic
and pragmatic effect of the wordplay is based on the structure of the SL. Translators often fail to
produce an equivalent counterpart in the TL because of a lack of idioms or constraints such as
grammatical rules.
In the case of language-dependent jokes, substitution and compensation is often used as
translational strategies. But these strategies are not practicable in all cases, which is why less
idiomatic translations occasionally are the results of semi-substitutions or half-translations.
The most common uses of wordplay are the following: Homophones (different spelling, identical
pronunciation), homographs (same spelling, different pronunciation), homonyms (same spelling
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
and pronunciation, different meaning), and paronyms (approximate sound and spelling) (Cintas
and Remal 2007: 220-226).
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
5. The source text (ST)
5.1 Summary of Navy CIS season three
NCIS is the naval criminal investigative service in Washington D. C. The TV show is about a team of
special agents, who investigate the deaths of murdered marines using detective investigation and
forensic science.
The team consists of the leader, agent Jethro Gibbs, second in command, agent Anthony “Tony”
DiNozzo, and agent Timothy McGee, who specialises in computers and electronics. Other main
characters in the show is the chief director of Navy CIS, Jennifer Shepard, the medical examiner
Donald “Ducky” Mallard and the forensic specialist, Abigail “Abby” Sciuto.
In season three, a new member has joined the team of agents. Her name is Ziva David and she is
from the Israeli Mossad. Ziva is supposed to replace another female agent named Kate, who was
killed in the previous season by a terrorist named Ari. Ari was Ziva’s half brother and she was
initially trying to help him, because she thought that he was innocent. In the end, Ziva killed Ari in
order to save Gibb’s life.
Ziva is fluent in five languages and therefore has a hard time speaking idiomatic English all the
time, especially concerning fixed expressions and sayings (“NCIS season of change”, NCIS third
season, DVD). Her mistakes and misunderstandings lead to many humorous incidents and they are
also the basis of my examples for this thesis.
5.2 The facts on Navy CIS
Navy CIS is an American TV show created by Donald P. Bellisario. The DVD series is produced by
CBS Paramount – network television. The show had its premiere in the U.S. September 23, 2003.
The show is now at its seventh season and has reached an immense popularity in the U.S. The
show is aired on primetime television Tuesday night.
Navy CIS has been nominated for two Primetime Emmys and has won eight individual awards. As a
result of the popularity of the show, a spinoff show has been created which is also aired on
Tuesday night, right after the original Navy CIS (IMDb 2010). The spinoff is calles NCIS L.A.
15
NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
5.3 Communicative situation
The American TV show is created and produced by Donald P. Bellasario, which makes him the
sender of the ST. The TV station CBS is used as the channel to the intended receivers, who in turns
must be the American viewers of the station. However, I assume that Navy CIS was intended for
worldwide distribution as the show is a spinoff of the internationally known series JAG, which was
also distributed throughout the world. Therefore I think it to be reasonable to estimate viewers
from other nations also to be the intended receivers.
NCIS is aired on Tuesday night at 8.00, which may give an indication of its audience
(www.cbs.com/schedule). I estimate that the TV show will attract an audience in the age between
20 and 40. My estimation is based on the characteristics of the TV show and the fact that it is aired
on primetime television, where it will attract the highest number of viewers possible. Considering
the TV channel, the action and the complexity of Navy CIS, I conclude that we are dealing with an
adult audience.
NCIS is created to entertain its audience with the intended purpose of making a financial profit.
The dialogue in Navy CIS is scripted. According to Cintas and Remael (2007: 61) there are three
types of scripted speech. In the TV show, we are dealing with the mimetic type which imitates
conversation. According to the producers, the dialogue with a touch of humour between the
distinct characters is what makes the show distinguished and attractive to its audience (“The
round table”, NCIS third season, DVD). To get an idea on the dialogue of the show, see the
transcription of segment 1 and 2 in context (appendix 2).
16
NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
6. The Target Text (TT)
The subtitles may be categorized as a mixed media translation, since the translation does not keep
within one media (Schjoladager 2008: 27). As the ST is an audiovisual media, it would be fair to
conclude that the TT is a supplement to the ST. The subtitles do not constitute a substitution to
the ST, as the ST is still present. Therefore the subtitles are merely supplementary (Gottlieb 2008:
220). The TT can also be categorized as interlingual, because the SL is different from the TL.
In Denmark the show is aired on channel 3 and 3+. I can only assume that the number of Danish
viewers is satisfactory since the two TV channels have chosen to air 4 episodes pr. day, in a period
where no new episodes are released. During the months where new episodes are aired, viewers
will be able to watch as many as 5 episodes pr. day. It is my estimation that the genre of fictitious
police investigative TV series is becoming rather popular in America as well as in Denmark. I base
my assumption on the massive broadcasting of TV shows within this genre; CSI, Criminal Minds,
Without a Trace, Bones etc.
Season three of Navy CIS was aired on Danish television on channel 3, and was later released on
DVD by Paramount in 2007. The DVD version, released by Paramount, is addressing the Danish
viewers, who have bought the TV show on DVD. The audience has most likely already watched
part of the show on television. The intended purpose of the text is the same as the one of the ST.
The TT should entertain the audience in order to make a financial profit. The purpose of the
subtitles is of course also to help the Danish audience to understand the words spoken in English.
The subtitles on the DVD were written by SDi Media Group. The TV show consists of 24 episodes
and different translators were assigned individual episodes. The number of different translators
may result in a variation of the applied microstrategies, which I will present in chapter 8. However,
the translators are all professional, because they were paid to do the job. This means that they
were bound by the professional rules and must have considered the following aspects: the
macrostrategy of the translation, the TT audience and the cultural aspect (Schjoldager 2008: 2829).
17
NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
7. Macrostrategies
As part of the four point model developed by Anne Schjoldager, I will present the model of
macrostrategies below. This chapter will describe the different theoretical aspects of the model,
and in chapter 9 I will state my estimated macrostrategy of Navy CIS.
7.1 A model of macrostrategies by Anne Schjoldager
Schjoldager states that it is fairly impossible to make a translation, which is the exact identity in
every aspect between the ST and the TT. Therefore, translators will have to decide whether they
will focus on the form and content of the ST, or if they will focus on the effect of the TT. A
semantic translation will recreate the ST, whereas a communicative translation will recreate the
effect of the ST (Schjoldager 2008: 67-70).
The two choices are by Schjoldager defined as a ST oriented macrostrategy and a TT oriented
macrostrategy, respectively. When a translator is to decide which strategy to apply, he should
consider if he is going to communicate somebody else’s communication, or if he is going to
mediate between two primary parties (Schjoldager 2008: 23-25).
Source-text oriented Macrostrategy
Target-text oriented Macrostrategy
Focus on source-text form and content
Focus on target-text effect
Communication
of
somebody
else’s Mediation between primary parties in a
communication
communication
Overt translation
Covert translation
A model of macrostrategies (Schjoldager 2008:72)
The model by Schjoldager assumes that, a translator will be producing a source-text oriented text
with the focus on the form and content if the translation is overt. An overt translation means that
the TT reader will be aware that he is reading a translation, and thus, a covert translation is hidden
to the reader. Subtitles are an example of an overt translation, because the ST and the TT are
present at the same time. The viewer will have no doubt that he is reading a translation. On the
other hand, books tend to be covert, unless the reader knows the nationality of the author
(Schjoldager 2008: 71-79).
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
8. Microstrategies
Microstrategies deal with finding solutions to translational problems at the word and sentence
level. Though many professional translators handle these issues intuitively, the microstrategies
help making the specific choices concerning the translation (Schjoldager 2008: 89).
I have studied two types of microstrategies, those outlined by Anne Schjoldager (2008: 89-112)
and those by Jorge Diaz Cintas (2007: 202-207). I have chosen to base my study on the strategies
defined by Jorge Diaz Cintas, because they are developed to deal with subtitling. This makes the
strategies by Cintas more relevant to my project, than standard microstrategies, which are
developed for the more general aspects of translation.
Though I find the nine microstrategies by Jorge Diaz Cintas appropriate, I will however also add his
theory on condensation and reformulation, in order to make my theory on microstrategies more
thorough and applicable to my analysis. I am adding this information because I feel that it is
lacking in the original nine microstrategies outlined by Diaz Cintas. In my opinion, Condensation
may very well be one of the most important and applied strategies in subtitling. Furthermore, I
have added some points by Anne Schjoldager to the strategy of Transposition, in order to make it
more applicable.
I will list and explain the 9 microstrategies along with the theory of condensation and
reformulation by Cintas (2007: 150-161) below.
8.1 Loan
When a translator is applying loan, he is transferring the ST word to the TT, either because no
translation is possible or, because the two languages use the exact same word. The application of
this strategy is often related to cities, drinks and culinary references, such as New York, “Whisky”
and “muffin”. These are universal words that are understandable to the majority of the world
(Cintas and Remael 2007: 202).
8.2 Calque
A calque is also called a literal translation. When Calque is applied to institutional titles, it may
require some explanation because an equivalent title may not be present in the target culture. But
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
in subtitling there are almost no room for explanations. Literal translations occasionally sound
strange, and the subtitler must hope for the context or visuals to clarify the incompatibility (Cintas
and Remael 2007: 202).
8.3 Explicitation
When the translator applies Explicitation, he is trying to clarify through specification or
generalization in the form of hypernyms. In subtitling, generalization appears more often than
specification, because it usually has an explanatory function, whereas specification, in the form of
hyponyms, narrows down the meaning of the word.
Hypernyms includes the translation of brand names and abbreviation of institutions. Thus, the
Danish TV channel TV2 becomes “public TV” in English and the English E-bay becomes
“internettet” in Danish. This is an effective way of explaining words to the audience, but
unfortunately some part of the cultural aspect and specificity is lost, which is typical of subtitling
(Cintas and Remael 2007: 203).
8.4 Substitution
Substitution is according to Diaz Cintas and Remael (2007: 204) a variant of the explicitation
strategy. The subtitler resorts to this strategy when spatial constraints excludes him from using a
rather long term in the target language, though the term would be the most accurate translation.
Instead, a shorter hypernym or hyponym is inserted. As a typical example of this strategy, Cintas
and Remael mentions names of culinary dishes, that by their correct translation would be too
long, and therefore is substituted with a shorter hypernym (Cintas and Remael 2007: 204).
8.5 Transposition
The application of transposition means that a cultural concept from one culture is replaced by a
cultural concept from another. This strategy is often applied when the viewer is not expected to
understand the cultural reference from the ST. Transposition also implies explanation or
clarification. When the translator uses transposition, he often adapts measurements and
currencies to the ones used in the TT country (Cintas and Remael 2007: 206).
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
I believe that the microstrategy called Adaptation by Schjoldager could be merged with
Transposition, because Cintas also mentions the adaptation of measurements. In my opinion, it is
also possible to adapt expressions and idioms in order to recreate the effect of the ST.
8.6 Lexical recreation
Lexical recreation is the invention of a neologism in the target language. This is inevitable when a
ST character makes up words of his own. The subtitler must then also invent a word with a
somewhat equivalent meaning (Cintas and Remael 2007: 206).
8.7 Compensation
According to Cintas and Remael (2007: 206) compensation means that, the translator will be
making up for an earlier translational loss by overtranslating or adding. Because of the needed
oral-visual synchrony between the ST and the TT, the strategy is not always practicable.
Considering that the target audience understands part of what they are hearing of the SL, the
subtitles should not deviate too much from the ST.
8.8 Omission
Omissions are almost unavoidable, because of the time-and-space constraints, but the strategy is
also applied if no equivalent term exists in the target language. The subtitler may choose to delete
parts of the ST if he finds the segment unimportant or if the segment can be omitted without the
general message is lost. References to ranks and professional positions within the military or the
medical environment are often the source of translational challenges, since they can be difficult to
translate. Consequently they are often omitted (Cintas and Remael 2007: 206-207).
8.9 Addition
Additions occur when relevant cultural references are expected to cause problems in the
comprehension of the message, unless they are clarified. Additions will be a sort of explicitation
with a clarifying purpose (Cintas and Remael 2007: 207).
8.10 Condensation and reformulation
Condensation is used when the subtitler renders the meaning of the ST in a shorter way. This may
be done by reformulation or other semantic changes. It is important that all reformulations remain
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
idiomatic, in order not to disturb the reception of the text. The subtitler may use various ways to
condense the ST, of which I will list a few: using shorter near-synonyms or equivalent expressions,
using a simple rather than compound tense, and using pronouns to replace nouns or noun-phrases
(Cintas and Remael 2007: 150-161).
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
9. Analysis of the TT
9.1 The Macrostrategy of Navy CIS
The subtitles in Navy CIS do not fit completely into the model of macrostrategies by Anne
Schjoldager (see chapter 7). The subtitles are an overt translation as both the ST and the TT are
visible at the same time. This should indicate a source-text oriented macrostrategy. However, in
my examples, where I will analyse the translation of jokes in the TV show, the translation focuses
on the target-text effect, which should indicate a target-text oriented macrostrategy. I estimate
the translator to be mediating between primary parties in this situation, as the intended receiver
of the TT is the same as the one of the ST; the international viewers, or the Danish audience in this
case (Schjoldager 2008: 71-74).
As the subtitles do not match one of the clear definitions stated by Schjoldager, I will define the
macrostrategy of Navy CIS as a less target-text oriented strategy. The focus of the translation still
lies on the TT effect and not the semantics of the ST, which leads my conclusion towards a TT
oriented strategy. However, as the translation is also overt, the subtitler has a limited amount of
freedom because the visible ST will limit the choices of translation.
When I state that the macrostrategy of Navy CIS is TT oriented, it only applies to the translation of
jokes that I am to analyse. If I were to categorize the overall macrostrategy of the subtitles in the
whole TV show, I would define it as more ST oriented because the ST institutions are retained. The
subtitlers do not attempt to come up with an equivalent Danish organisation when they refer to
the Navy Yard and other governmental institutions.
9.2 Analysing the selected segments
In the preceding chapters, I have introduced the general aspects of subtitling, the classification of
language dependent jokes by Zabalbeascoa and looked into the macrostrategies and the
microstrategies. I believe that the preceding theoretical knowledge is needed in order for me to
understand the choices of translation made by the subtitlers.
In my analysis of the translation of jokes in Navy CIS, I will attempt to categorize the humour and
determine the applied microstrategies, in order to fully understand the intention of the subtitlers.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
I have chosen only to analyze selected segments of jokes from the TV show because I believe that
they will be representative to the strategy applied throughout the season.
As outlined by Cintas and Remael (2007: 61-62) I will define each line spoken by a character as an
intervention. An intervention will be followed by another intervention which can either be context
confirming or context renewing, which means that the following statement will either add new
information or confirm that what has been said is understood.
I will answer the following questions in order to make my analysis: What makes the segment
humorous? What makes up the translational problem? How did the subtitler solve the problem?
9.2.1 Segment 1
In this scene, Ziva is feeling embarrassed, because she thought that her boss, Gibbs, knew that she
was going to be part of the investigative team of agents. He did not know.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – I feel like a donkey’s butt
Ziva – Jeg føler mig som en rive
McGee – Donkey’s butt?
McGee – En rive?
DiNozzo – I think she meant a horse’s ass, DiNozzo – En skovl
McGee
Episode 4 “Silver war”.
The humour of this segment is based on the semantics of the SL. Consequently, I will categorize
the segment as a language-dependent joke as defined by Zebalbeascoa. These segments are often
the ones to cause problems because of a lack of idioms in the target language.
Ziva’s intervention is not possible to translate literally because an identical expression does not
exist in Danish. Therefore, the subtitler must adapt the misspoken expression in order to recreate
the humorous effect of the ST. My customized version of Transposition has been used in this
segment. The joke on animal derrieres would not have made an idiomatic expression in Danish,
which is why the subtitler has converted them into garden tools. This however makes a good
idiomatic joke in Danish, as “En skovl” is often used about a person acting or feeling stupid.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
In the third intervention of the segment, we see a typical example of Condensation which often
occurs in subtitling. Time-and-space constraints have forced the subtitler to delete the majority of
the sentence. But I do believe that the deleted part is still implicitly embedded in the TT, because
the viewer will know that “en skovl” was what she meant, which is why I will categorise the
strategy as condensation and not omission.
9.2.2 Segment 2
The team is searching through the apartment of a suspect, but the place seems abandoned.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – He must have taken a kite
Ziva – Han er nok gået under bordet
DiNozzo – Hike. The expression is ”taking a DiNozzo – Du mener “gået under jorden”
hike”
Episode 5 ”Switch”.
As most of the jokes involving the character Ziva, this joke is also language-dependent. The
semantic similarities between “hike” and “kite”, constitutes the foundation of the joke. The
humorous element is based on the fact that she got the expression almost right, but it is still very
wrong. What makes it difficult to translate is that again, the Danish language lacks a similar
expression which makes a direct translation inappropriate.
Like the translation of segment 1, the subtitler will have to adapt the translation and thereby use
the strategy of Transposition. First of all, the translator must come up with a Danish expression
that carries the same meaning as the original one. Then, he must add the humorous element by
making a semantic mistake like a paronym, where the sound and spelling are approximately the
same (see chapter 3).
The second intervention of the segment has experienced some Omission. Instead of two
sentences, the TT only consists of one sentence in order to meet the time-and-space constraints.
However, I think that some of the additional humour is lost with the deleted repetition of the
word “hike”. The irritation embedded in DiNozzo’s intervention is much less obvious to the Danish
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
viewer. Fortunately, his facial expression helps the viewer to understand his frustration. Because
of this visual aid, the condensation becomes more acceptable.
9.2.3 Segment 3
The team is looking through some emails that have been sent to a suspect in a murder
investigation. The emails contain only a time and a place.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – Many intelligence agencies use this Ziva – Agenter burger dem til udvekslinger. I
technique for arranging a drop-off. I believe kalder dem vist trolde.
you refer to them as goblins
DiNozzo – Spooks. The term is ”spooks”
DiNozzo – De hedder “hemmelige agenter”
Episode 5, ”Switch”.
The humour of this segment is based on the misspoken noun “goblins” in the first intervention.
The speech defect is funny because goblins and spooks are both in the category of mystic fantasy
creatures, which means that Ziva was in the somewhat right field, but she still got it wrong. This is
very much in line with segment 1, where she mixed up animal derrieres. The ST viewer, who is
familiar with the military expressions used on the show, will expect Ziva to be talking about spooks
and is amused by the unexpected speech defect.
A translational problem arises in this segment, because we are dealing with a socio-political
reference, which is referring to a military term, as stated by Grit (see chapter 3.2). In this particular
example, the Danish language lacks an equivalent terminology on spies. Or so it appears. The
subtitler may have found a military expression for a spy, but may also have thought that the term
would be unknown to the Danish viewers. Therefore, the Danish terminology would have
confused the audience and not been an appropriate solution.
The subtitler has applied the strategy of Calque in this segment. In both interventions the nouns
“goblins” and “spooks”, which constitute the humour, are translated literally. Apparently, the
subtitler was not able to find a known slang word for “spooks” in Danish. In my opinion, he should
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
not have translated the first intervention literally then, as the words “trolde” and “hemmelige
agenter” has no humorous connection as the English pair do. The humour is lost in the TT, because
the literal translation of both terms makes an odd translation in Danish, which is difficult for the
viewer to comprehend.
A visible amount of Condensation has also been applied to the first intervention, as the time-andspace restraints should be met. Only the relevant information has been translated and is rendered
as concise as possible. Moreover, Omission has been applied in the second intervention, where
the repetition of “spooks” is omitted, which hurts the humorous effect in my opinion. The
repetition of the correct terminology creates rhythm in DiNozzo’s intervention, which
unfortunately takes up too much space in subtitles.
9.2.4 Segment 4
In this scene, the team arrives in the suburbs, at the house of a missing woman. The street is filled
with people, because all the houses in the neighbourhood are having yard sales.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – Where did all these people come from?
Ziva – Hvor kom de fra?
DiNozzo – Didn’t you see the signs? It’s yard DiNozzo – Det er et loppemarked
sale day.
Ziva – I see. And do marines sell their yards Ziva – Sælger soldater tit deres lopper?
often?
Episode 6, ”The voyeur’s web”.
The humour of this segment is based on Ziva’s lack of knowledge about the American society. She
has never seen a yard sale before and does therefore not know the concept, which leads to her
misunderstanding. The humour lies in the unexpectedness of Ziva’s question. The element of
surprise is what amuses the viewer.
The translation of this segment should not cause many problems since the concept of a yard sale is
commonly known in the western part of the world, where Navy CIS is aired on television. In
Denmark, we too have a somewhat similar concept called “loppemarked”.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
I believe that the subtitler has applied Transposition, in order to translate this segment. We are
not dealing with a literal translation, which is why I argue that a slight adaptation is applied, hence
the application of Transposition.
The subtitler could have chosen to make a more literal translation and used the Danish word
“garage salg”, but he may have though that “loppemarked” would be the more universal of the
two words and thereby made his choice. Fortunately, the joke still works, as it is quite uncommon
to sell your flees or “lopper”.
Besides the microstrategy used in the translation of the joke, this segment has also been under the
influence of Omission and Condensation. The first intervention has been condensed as “all these
people” has been left out. The question is rendered more concise. The subtitler has done so
because the visuals help project the message, as the scene is filled with people. In both the second
and third intervention, the first sentences have been omitted, most likely because of the timeand-space constraints.
The first sentence in DiNozzo’s intervention is a rhetorical question, and therefore less relevant to
the context. However, had the question been answered it would have been difficult to omit.
Additionally, the signs that DiNozzo is referring to are not visible on screen, which make the
sentence even less relevant.
The first sentence of the third intervention is omitted, because it is a context confirming sentence.
This type of sentences is often left out in subtitles because they do not add anything new, as they
are only confirming that what has been stated previously is understood (see chapter 3).
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
9.2.5 Segment 5
Ziva and DiNozzo are investigating a suspect of a kidnapping. They are going through all of his
personal files and seem to find nothing suspicious.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – He calls his mother every Sunday. The Ziva – Han er en engel, “spick-and-spam”.
man is spick-and-spam.
DiNozzo – The saying is “spick-and-span”. Spam DiNozzo – Det er “spick-and-span”. Spam er
is lunchmeat.
dåseskinke.
Episode 7, “Honor code”.
The language dependent joke of this segment is based on Ziva’s unfamiliarity with English
expressions. This is probably the first time that she is ever using the expression, which is why a
malapropism occurs (see chapter 4). Ziva is unable to hear when she is making linguistic mistakes,
and the fact that DiNozzo is constantly correcting her ads to the humour. The translational
problem with this segment is due to the idiomatic expression, which is not present in the Danish
language.
The subtitler of this segment did not attempt to translate the English expression and applied Loan.
The reason for this choice of strategy may be the fact that, the Danish translator estimated that,
an explanation of the expression would have taken up more room than he had left. The expression
could have been omitted, but I assume that the translator believed his audience to understand the
expression, since he transferred it to the subtitles. By using omission the translator may have
alienated the audience by giving them a feeling of missing out of something. Furthermore, foreign
transfers in subtitling have become increasingly acceptable, since the audience is more familiar
with the English language (see chapter 3).
Both interventions experience some Condensation. The subtitler has reduced the actions of the
person in question to a statement of his character in the first intervention, and the second
intervention is presumably also under the influence of the time-and-space constraints, since the
word “saying” is left out in the TT.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
9.2.6 Segment 6
Ziva and DiNozzo are working undercover, posing as a married couple. DiNozzo complains and
accuses Ziva of snoring, while she believes that he was the one snoring.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – Look who’s calling the pot black.
Ziva – Man skal ikke kaste ting i et glashus
DiNozzo – Kettle. Pot is calling the kettle black.
DiNozzo – Du mener ”kaste med sten i et
glashus”
Episode 8, ”Under covers”.
In this segment, the humorous element consists of Ziva misunderstanding an English idiom. As in
many of her other jokes, she almost got it right, but it still sounds off in the ears of a native
speaker of English. Ziva is unable to hear that she is making a malapropism, because a pot and a
kettle is the same thing to her, which is exactly the point of the saying; that they are both black.
The subtitler is once again confronted with an English idiom that does not exist in Danish, which is
why he must find a Danish idiom with an equivalent meaning. Transposition has been used in this
segment, because a literal translation of the ST would not have made sense to the Danish viewers,
as the idiom is not part of Danish culture. The recreation of effect is the macrostrategy of
translating the humour in Navy CIS, but I am not entirely sure that the subtitler succeeded in this
segment. In my opinion, some of the humour is lost in the subtitles. “Things” and “rocks” would
have the same effect, when thrown in a house of glass, which means that nothing was changed in
the idiom despite the language defect made by Ziva. It would have been more fun if Ziva had really
misunderstood or misspoken the saying. Instead of “ting”, the subtitler should have applied
paronemy and found a word that resembled the word “sten”, but would have had a different
effect when thrown in a house of glass. That way, it would have been clearer to the viewer that
she had just misspoken the expression, and it may have had a funnier outcome.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
9.2.7 Segment 7
A young boy in high school has taking some of his classmates hostage with a bomb attached to his
chest. Snipers have the boy in sight and the Director of NCIS asks whether or not DiNozzo will be
able to give orders to shoot him, if it becomes necessary.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – She asked if you’ve got the calzone for Ziva – Spurgte hun, om du havde calzone?
this, yes?
DiNozzo – Cojones
DiNozzo – Cojones
Episode 18, “Bait”.
In segment 8, we are dealing with yet another language dependent joke. The humorous element is
based on the speech defect made by Ziva in the first intervention. The word “calzone” is a
paronym for the correct word “cojones” as the sound and spelling of the two words are
approximately the same (see chapter 4). Both words are non-English, which is their connecting
characteristic and the reason why Ziva got them confused. I estimate both words to be
internationally known.
In order to transfer the effect of the ST, the subtitler may have to come up with an equivalent set
of paronyms in Danish, which could create some translational problems.
However, in this case, the subtitler has applied the microstrategy called Loan, where he transfers
the ST words directly with no alterations. Most likely, the subtitler did not feel that he could make
a proper translation into Danish with the same effect of the ST. I estimate that the reason why the
subtitler used Loan in this segment is because both words are familiar to the majority of the
western part of the world, where Navy CIS is aired on television. If the translator had chosen to
adapt the set of paronyms, he may have spoiled the joke to the viewers who are able to
understand the majority of the ST. An adaptation would have disturbed the audience because of
the lack of recognizable words. I assume that the subtitler estimated his audience to be familiar
with the foreign nouns in a degree that would make a translation unnecessary.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
Omission is quite common in subtitling, and has also been applied to the first intervention of this
segment. The word “yes” has been omitted from the end of Ziva’s intervention because it was
irrelevant to the message and it is not a question that gets answered by DiNozzo.
9.2.8 Segment 8
In this scene, McGee is anxious, because DiNozzo has been questioning McGee’s sexuality after
finding out that he uses lotion for his hands. Now he consults Ziva to find out if she thinks Tony was
serious about his accusations.
Original version
Subtitled version
Ziva – I think Tony war jerking your brain.
Ziva – Tony kører rundt med dig.
McGee – Chain? Jerking my chain?
McGee – Kører rundt med dej?
Episode 19, “Iced”.
The language dependent joke of this segment is funny because Ziva says “brain” instead of
“chain”. “Brain” is a paronym to the correct noun of this idiom; “chain”. As the sound and spelling
of the two words are nearly similar, and because the audience is familiar with the idiom, the
humour arises as the audience knows what she meant to say. The translational problem occurs
because an identical idiom does not exist in Danish.
The subtitler of this episode has attempted to use Transposition in this segment by using another
set of paronyms in the subtitles. However, he was unsuccessful. I can only assume that the
translation is a mistake. It appears that the subtitler has placed the speech defect in the wrong
intervention. Ziva was supposed to pronounce the idiom wrong, not McGee. The idea of the
translation would however have been quite effective. The Danish paronyms would have
transferred the humorous element, had they been in the right places. It is unfortunate that a
potentially very effective joke is ruined, because the subtitler did not have the time to perform a
spell check.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
In the first intervention stated by Ziva, Condensation has been applied as the words “I think” has
been deleted. The words were not necessary to translate, because they did not add any relevant
information that was needed in order to convey the message.
Omission has been applied to the second intervention, as the repetition of McGee’s correction has
been removed. In my opinion, the repetition adds to the humour. However, even though the
repetition had been retained it would not have saved the effect of the otherwise incorrect
translation.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
10. Results
10.1 Assessment of the Macrostrategy
I estimated the macrostrategy of my TT examples to be a lesser degree of a TT oriented strategy,
because it contains some characteristics of a ST oriented strategy, as mentioned in chapter 9. In
my opinion, the balance between the two orientations is well kept and appears to be the best
solution when subtitling humour. The restraints caused by the polysemiotic characteristics of the
text is considered, which is necessary in order to create an idiomatic TT, in which the effect of the
ST is transferred. When dealing with jokes and humorous segments, the transfer of effect is
fundamental. To recreate the semantics of the ST would only have confused the audience, and I
believe that the effect of a film is what draws an audience, and hence will create a financial profit,
which is the intention of a TV show like Navy CIS.
My assumption that the subtitles would lean towards a TT orientation proved to be correct. The
effect of the TT is significant in my segments, and though the translation is overt I estimate that
the subtitler functions as a mediator, which leads me to conclude that the macrostrategy of the TT
is in fact TT oriented.
The choice of microstrategies supports my conclusion as the great majority of the applied
strategies are categorized as TT oriented strategies. Transposition, Condensation and Omission are
the most frequently used strategies in my segments (see chapter 10.2) and they are quite common
in subtitling. The applied strategies indicate that a semantic recreation of the ST was not the
intention, as the omission of lexical items will make a complete rendering impossible. The
application of Transposition however, should make the TT more accessible to the TT audience,
hence, adapting the cultural references into references from the TT culture.
Loan and Calque have only been applied a few times. Though they may imply a ST oriented
strategy, it is my estimation that the few examples will not affect the overall macrostrategy.
The fact that the subtitler had to transfer the humorous elements was the most influential
premise to the translation of Navy CIS. Therefore, I believe that the macrostrategy applied to the
subtitling of Navy CIS influenced the choice of microstrategies, which I will evaluate below.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
10.2 Assessment of the Microstrategies
After determining the Macrostrategy in chapter 9.1 I experienced some expectations to the
application of microstrategies. In order to prove my assumed Macrostrategy correct, the
application of microstrategies had to be of the TT oriented kind. As stated in 10.1 my expectations
were met, and in this chapter I will assess the use of microstrategies. The table below indicates
how often the various strategies have been applied in the analysed segments above.
Transposition
Omission
Loan
Calque
Condensation
4
4
2
1
6
Results of the analysed segments (see chapter 9)
From the table it is fairly obvious that the most commonly used microstrategies are: Transposition,
Omission and Condensation. The heavy use of Omission and Condensation is not surprising, as we
are dealing with subtitling, which is supposed to be a condensed version of the ST. The time-andspace constraints in form of the maximum allowed characters pr. second must be met by the
subtitler, who is forced to apply these strategies. Though many phrases have been omitted from
the segments that I chose to analyse, I estimate that nothing important was removed. All the
relevant information, that the audience needed in order to comprehend the message of the ST,
was conveyed by the subtitles. I recognise that it is necessary to shorten some segments, although
it may not always be satisfactory to the audience, as part of the humour is occasionally lost.
The considerable use of Transposition is caused by the focus on transferring the effect of the ST.
However, considering the polysemiotic characteristics of the text, Transposition may cause some
problems to the audience, since this type of strategy makes it almost impossible for the viewers to
find recognizable phrases in the subtitles. I estimate that the Danish audience of Navy CIS is fairly
knowledgeable about the English language, which makes the Danes able to understand the
majority of the ST. The question is whether the adaptation of the subtitles will disturb the
audience’s reception of the show?
In my opinion, the quality of the translation is at such a high standard, that I believe the use
Transposition not to be a disturbance to the audience. I estimate that a literal translation of the ST
idioms would have caused many more comprehensible problems to the audience, than the actual
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
TT. In my opinion, the alteration of the dialogue is appropriate. The translations of the English
idioms are quite inventive and enjoyable. I find the choice of Transposition, and the use of
paronemy, in the segments to be the most effective solutions possible considering the purpose of
transferring the effect of the ST.
The application of Loan is only triggered two times. Though Loan may indicate a ST oriented
strategy, I partly understand why the subtitler found it necessary. In segment 5, I assume that the
subtitler was unable to find a clear and concise translation of the expression “spick-and-span”.
There are rarely room for explanations in subtitles, which is why Loan was applied. However, I am
not convinced that the average audience understands the exact meaning of the expression.
Personally, I had to look it up to make sure that I understood the meaning of it. I question the
quality of this translation, or lack of it, and I wonder if it had been possible to apply paronemy to
the Danish expression “i fineste orden”. That may have been a more appropriate solution. I
assume that the poor performance is caused by pressure on the subtitler or the fact that the
subtitler was simply not qualified for the job. As stated by Veiga (2009) in chapter 4.1, it takes a
skilled translator with an understanding of humour and wordplay to translate language dependent
jokes.
When Loan was applied in segment 7, the subtitler must have concluded his audience to know the
foreign words “cojones” and “calzone”, and therefore found the strategy adequate in order to
transfer the humour. In this case I agree that Loan is the most suitable strategy to apply. The
words in question are internationally known, which makes a translation unnecessary.
When the subtitler applied Calque to the third segment it seemed to be the easy solution and not
a suitable strategy. The humour is completely lost in the segment, which hardly makes sense. I do
not think Calque is the right solution for this translational problem as stated in chapter 9. The
reason for this solution may be a lack of time to come up with a better alternative or a lack of skills
in the translator.
Because there are a number of different translators hired to subtitle Navy CIS season three, this
might be the reason for the inconsistency in the quality of the subtitles. As a result of the several
translators hired, a greater variety in the application of microstrategies would not have been
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
surprising. However, judging from my results, it seems that the majority of the subtitlers were
working from the same assumption; that the transfer of effect was the main goal.
10.3 Would a different set of strategies have been better?
In my opinion, the transfer of humour is successful in the majority of my analysed segments. I am
a strong believer in transfer of effect, and it is my evaluation that the purpose is achieved in the
subtitles.
Though I am sorry to see how the humour is lost in some of the analysed segments due to
condensation and omission, I understand that not all jokes are possible to translate, and I
recognise that in most of the segments no other strategy would have made a difference. I do
believe that the applied strategies contribute to promoting the effect, which is the purpose of the
supposed macrostrategy.
There are only a few segments where I would have wished for the subtitler to do a better job and
be more attentive. I assume that the poor performance may be due to the heavy time pressure
that affects the translators on a regular basis (see chapter 3). Nonetheless, of course other
microstrategies could have been applied, but to me it seems that the ones opted for are capable
of transferring the effect of the ST, which makes the TT satisfactory.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
11. Conclusion
My main aim with this empirical study was to obtain an understanding of the field of subtitling and
on how to translate language dependent humour in subtitles. As I studied the various
microstrategies by Jorge Diaz Cintas and analysed the application of such strategies to my selected
segments, I discovered that the multiple subtitlers of Navy CIS had sorted out several solutions,
which resulted in different degrees of success.
As I expected, I found many examples of Condensation and Omission, as those strategies are very
common in subtitling. Thus my analysis of the selected examples confirms the theory by Jorge Diaz
Cintas and Aline Remael (2007) which states that subtitles are a reduced form of the ST.
Furthermore, Veiga suggests that substitution and adaptation are the most commonly used
strategies when translating humour (see chapter 4). As I explained in chapter 8, I believe that
Transposition is a nuance of the strategy of adaptation. Thus, based on my results on the heavy
use of Transposition, I conclude that Veiga’s assumption is correct, and my expectations were met.
After evaluating my results in chapter 10, I conclude that the application of strategies in my
segments is in line with the traditional conventions of subtitling, as I found no use of Addition or
Explicitation. Indeed, the strategies that were applied support my estimated macrostrategy,
because they are at large TT oriented, as stated in chapter 10.2.
Regarding the use of language mode, I found that the translation of my examples follows the
traditional conventions, as the written language mode is applied. Subtitles are supposed to
contain features of the written language in order to follow the conventions of their code (see
chapter 3). It is my conclusion that the language of the TT is in line with those conventions, as
there are no abbreviations or contractions. The TT consists of idiomatic Danish in almost every
aspect. There are only minor exceptions caused by sloppiness of the translator or a lack of time.
Veiga states that not all translators are qualified to translate humour (see chapter 4.1). Based on
my results and considering the fact that multiple translators were hired to subtitle NCIS season
three and the small inconsistency in effective transfer of humour, I find it fair to conclude that
Veiga’s theory is correct.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
I believe that a profound knowledge on languages and the ability to recognise humorous elements
are required in order to be qualified to translate humour. Though there are examples of slight
failure in my selected examples, I do find that the translators in general lived up to the
macrostrategy outlined for NCIS season three, as they were able to transfer the humorous effect
of the ST effectively, follow the traditional conventions of subtitling and apply idiomatic Danish to
the subtitles.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
12. List of references
Cintas, Jorge Diaz; The didactics of Audiovisual translation; 2008; John Benjamins publishing
company; Amsterdam/Philidelphia
Cintas, Jorge Diaz and Remael, Aline; Audiovisual translation: Subtitling; 2007; St. Jerome
Publishing; Manchester
Gottlieb, Henrik; “Screen translation”, IN Understanding translation by A. Schjoldager; 2008;
Academica
Leppihalme, Ritva; “Caught in the frame. A target-culture viewpoint on allusive wordplay”, IN
The Translator – Wordplay and Translation; by Dirk Delabastita; 1996; St. Jerome Publishing;
Manchester.
NCIS. The third season. Paramount; 2005; DVD
Rosa, Alexandra Assis; “Features of oral and written communication in subtitling” IN (Multi)
Media Translation – concepts, practices and research; by Yves Gambier and Henrik Gottlieb;
2001; John Benjamins publishing company; Amsterdam/Philidelphia
Ross, Alison; The language of humour; 1998; Routledge; London
Schjoldager, Anne; Understanding Translation; 2008; Academica
“The round table”, NCIS. The third season. Paramount; 2005; DVD
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
Veiga, Maria José; “The translation of audiovisual humour in just a few words”, IN New trends
in audiovisual translation; by Jorge Diaz Cintas; 2009; Multilingual Matters; Bristol
http://www.cbs.com/schedule CBS TV schedule; 2010; [accessed 19 April 2010]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364845/maindetails IMDb – The Internet Movie Database,
“Navy NCIS: Naval criminal investigative service”; 2010; [accessed 18 March 2010]
IMDb is an online database like Wikipedia, where it is possible to find data and reviews of
various movies and TV shows.
www.tv3.dk/tv-guide Tv3 “TV guide”; 2010; [accessed 18 March 2010]
This website belongs to the Danish TV channel Tv3. I accessed the TV guide of the channel in
order to find the time of airing of NCIS.
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
13. Summary
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the reasons behind the application of strategies used to
translate the language dependent humour in NCIS season three. Furthermore, this thesis will
evaluate whether the translator has transferred the humour of the ST successfully.
Subtitling can be defined as translation in a polysemiotic media in the form of written text, which
appear in synchrony with the image and dialogue of the original ST. The aim of subtitles is to
facilitate access to the ST that otherwise would not have been accessible. Subtitles involve a
change of code, as they shift from speech to writing. Subtitlers are deeply influenced by the timeand-space constraints that characterise subtitling. Since, only a limited amount of characters can
be visible for a limited period of time, subtitles are a condensed version of the original. Subtitlers
are also forced to consider their audience, because the translation becomes vulnerable, as it is
visible alongside the original ST. Thereby, the choice of microstrategies becomes extremely
influential on how the TT will be received. Transposition, Condensation and Omission are the most
commonly applied strategies.
Humour is defined as “something that makes a person laugh or smile” by Alison Ross. According to
Ross, the element of surprise, ambiguity and nonsense are effective ways to make people smile.
Malapropism is defined as the misuse of idiomatic expressions, and I expect to encounter quite a
few examples of this unintended humour in my segments, since the majority of the jokes are
based on speech defects. By studying the research on how to translate humour of Maria José
Veiga, I stated my expectations to the application of microstrategies. Substitution and adaptation
are stated to be the best applicable strategies when translating humour.
The TV show, NCIS, which is the empirical data, is about a fictitious team of special agents, who
investigate the deaths of murdered marines. The team is based in Washington D. C. and in season
three a new member is assigned. Her name is Ziva David and she is a liaison officer from the Israeli
Mossad. Her speech defects and misunderstandings are the basis of my selected examples. The
show belongs in the genre of police investigative TV series and was first aired on American
television on September 23, 2003. Regarding the communicative situation of the show, the sender
is Donald P. Bellasario, who created the series, and the intended receivers are presumably young
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NCIS – An analysis of the macro- and microstrategies applied to translate language dependent humour
Anja Dalsgaard Nielsen
My examination number: 283572
adults and adults throughout most of the western part of the world. The intention of NCIS is to
entertain its audience in order to make a financial profit.
In order to investigate the choices of microstrategies I carried out an analysis of eight selected
segments containing language dependent jokes from NCIS. The basis of the humour was examined
as well as the application of strategies used to translate the jokes. Furthermore, I estimated
whether the translator had made an idiomatic and effective translation.
Regarding my results, I expected to find TT oriented strategies in my examples on the basis of my
estimated macrostrategy and the suggestions stated by Maria José Veiga. My expectations were
met, as Transposition was frequently applied. This strategy indicates a focus on translating the
effect of the ST and hence a TT oriented macrostrategy. I found that my examples followed the
traditional conventions concerning microstrategies, because I registered a noticeable use of
Condensation and Omission, which are common in the field of subtitling. The language mode of
the subtitles was also in line with my expectations. Subtitles are translations that shift from the
spoken language mode to the written language mode, and fortunately I only found features of
written language in my selected segments, which consisted of idiomatic Danish.
The humour was transferred satisfactorily in the majority of my selected examples, and the
purpose to entertain was equally conveyed. In the cases where the humour was not transferred
effectively I conclude that unqualified translators and the many constraints of the profession must
be the cause.
Number of characters (without spaces): 3497
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